Abortion Insurance Bill Taken Off Hearing Agenda

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A measure to require most insurers in Washington state to cover abortions was dealt a setback as a key lawmaker reversed a decision to hear the bill in a Friday Senate committee.

Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, who chairs the Senate Law and Justice Committee, announced Monday that the panel would hear the measure supporters call the Reproductive Parity Act despite what he called its "flaws," which he said include putting federal dollars at risk and threatening religious liberty.

"I'm not afraid to give this bill a good airing because the more facts that come out Friday, the better," Padden said in a news release.

After the measure was removed from the agenda Wednesday, Padden on Thursday declined to say whether it would receive a new hearing date.